Art of wood-heel making



' N. L. GULLlFORD ART OF WOOD HEEL MAKING v v Filed A112. 21, 1923 sSheets-Shoot 1 Oct. 13, 1925. 1,557,046 N. L. GULLIFORD ART or wool)HEEL MAKING Filed Au. 2].. 1923 3 Sheets-Shoot 2 Oct- 13, 1925- v N. L.GULLIFORD ART OF WOOD HEEL MAKING 3 Sheets-Shut 5 Filed A112. 21. 1923Patented Oct. '13, 1925.

UNITED STATE PATENT, OFFICE.

NICHOLAS I. GULLIFORD, OF PEABODY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GREGORY &;

READ COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU-SETTS.

ART OF WOOD HEEL MAKING.

Application fllcd'August 21, 1923. Serial No. 658,647.,-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS L. GULLI- roan, a citizen of the UnitedStates. and aresident of Peabody, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in theArt of Wood-Heel Making, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art. of wood heel making and isparticularly concerned with the shaping operation by which the breastface or exterior under outer side of the forwardly projecting shank lipof the heel is convexly curved to conform to the transverse curvature ofthe shank .of the shoe to which the wood heel is applied, and is in thenature of an improvement in the practice, and upon the apparatusdescribed in my Letters Patent of the United States #1,433,002 datedOctober 24, 1922.

Wood heels are commonly made for use on womens shoes and are usually ofthe style or type known as Louis or. French heels. For such use theheels must, when finished, present smooth clean-cut surfaces andcorners, and in the operation of cutting the superfluous stock from theheel to give the shank portion of the breast the desired transverselyarched v or convex shape, it is of much importance to avoid asubstantial percentage of loss or waste through breakage or theproduction of an undesirable number of imperfect heels having ragged orsplintered corners on the side where they shank shaping cutter leavesthe work.

To this end my invention comprises a backing orsupport against thethrust of the cutter for the side of the heel adjacent the corner formedby the shank' shaping cutter at the junction of said side and breast asit leaves the work, that chipping, tear ing or splitting of the wood isprevented and a sharply defined and clean-cut corner .is produced.

In explanation of my. improved-process and apparatus I have shown amachine or apparatus of the type described in my aforesaid patent, whichmachine operates upon a partially formed wood heel; that is, a wood heelthat is completely shaped with the exception of the operation of shankshaping, but the present invention is not limited to apparatus of thatparticular type.

holder shown in Fig. 3.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one form of mold that may be used incarrying. out my invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional view of the mold shown in Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a section Figs. 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a wood heel before being operated uponby the machine herein shown.

Figure 9 is'a perspective view of one of the jaws'hereinafter described,showing the same partially completed.

The machine herein shown comprises a rotatable internal cutter head 1mounted upon a shaft 2 journaled'in stationary bearings on the frame,said cutter head being disposed opposite a work holder 3that is mountedupon a carriage 4 movable towardand from the cutter head. Cutter head 1carries cutting blades 5 each having a curved cutting edge correspondingin shape with the shape that is to be given to the shank and upperportion of the breast of the heel. The heel on line 77 of that is tobeoperated upon is placed upon the bed 9 of the work holder between twoholding jaws 6 and 7 by which it is clamped and held immovable upon thebed 9 while the carriage 4 and the work holder are moved toward and fromthe cutter head.

When the carriage is moved toward the cutter head to the limit of itsmovement in that direction as determined by the stops 8, the shankportion it of the heel H is carried into position against the outerendsof the blades 5 and also between said blades and the axis of thecutter head as fully described in my patent referred to above, so thatsaid blades sweep across said shank portion and give to the same atransversely convex shape as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, said shank portionbeing originally of the shape shown m Fig. 8 and being reduced by thisoperation, atthe shank end of the breast, to a very thin .edge owing tothe fact that the top of the heel is-concaved to fit the convex portionof the heel of the shoe to which it is applied.

It will therefore be clear that the cutters reduce the shank end of thebreast of the wood heel to very frail and weakproportions so that, in amachineof this kind, unless the material of the heel at the side of thebreast immediately adjacent the latter is support ed against the thrustof the cutting bladcs,.

' ported as pointed out the heel block is liable to be splintered, splitor made ragged at any place within the range of the cutting edges oftheblades. Heretofore, when operating upon heels, or heel blankswithoutsuch side support the percentage of loss through breakage, raggedcorners, splintering and the like, has been very large. My presentinvention completely eliminates this loss and it contemplates bothimproved apparatus for shaping the breast portions of wood heels, orheel blanks, and involves a novel method of making the same,particularly the work holding means thereof.

The jaw 6 is provided with a shank 10 formed with a slot 11 to receive abolt 12 y means of which latter the shank and jaw are clamped rigidly tothe bed 9. The opposite jaw 7 is fast to the end of the slide bar 13which is manually operated and controlled as described in my priorpatent. The

heel to be operated upon by the machine has its shank portion shaped asin Fig. 8 and is placed between the two jaws 6 and .7 and jaw 7 ispressed and held firmly against the heel while it is being operated.upon by the cutter head.

The inner work engaging face of each jaw I has a shape that is acounterpart of the shape of the side of the heel engaged by it, so thatwhen a heel is clamped between the .two jawsthe latter fit against the.sides of the heel throughout the area of. each work engaging face, andthus'the heel is held aga-inst'movement in any direction.

As will be clear from Fig.3, which is an elevation. of the heel holderviewed away from the cutter head, the fixed jaw 6 isthe rearor abutmentjaw of the pair and'supportsthe work against the thrust of the cuttingblades, while the chief function of the opp'o'sitdj'a'w"? is to hold thework 5 the rear fixed jaw 6 and to co-operate with the latter in holdingthe work down upon the bed 9. The cutting blades, rotating in thedirection of .the arrow in Fig. 3, pass above the shank portion of thebreast and shape the latter between the points h and [L2, Fig. 8. Thereis, of course, little or no tendency on the part of the cutters to splitor splinter the work as they come into engagcment with the same adjacentthe jaw 7, but unless t-hcjaw 6 properly backs up and supports the heelat the opposite side thereof, the critters will injure, and fre-.quently destroy the heel. For'this reason the work engaging face of thejaw 6 is made of a shape and size to engage the side of the heelimmediately adjacent the curved corner thereof at the junction of therear-most side of the heel with the breast thereof from the point h tothe point 71, That is to say, the work engaging face of the jaw 6 ismade.

witha heel engaging and supporting side edge portion 6 conforming inshape to both the side and breast of the heel, said edge portion being.co-extensive with the cu made by the blade, or blades, and coincidingwith the corner of the heel as finally shaped by the cutter head.Preferably the jaw 7 is a counterpart of the jaw 6 but this is notessential.

To produce the jaws 6 and 7 I may provide and use a mold such as shownin Figs. 5, 6 and 7. This mold comprises a base section 14 and two topsections 15 and 16 held in proper positions relatively by means ofdowel's 17. 'The mold sections are formed so that when assembled theyprovide a cavity 18 within which is placed the ends of the slide bar 13and shank -10 as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. and also a core H which may bea wood heel like that shown in Fig. 8 or Fig. 4. or a heel shaped coreof any other suitable material-1-may be used. that corresponds with theheels that are to .be operated upon. Babbitt metal is then poured intothe mold until level with the top of the latter. Upon cooling. thecasting is removed from the mold and cut into two parts, one fast on theend of slide bar 13 and the other upon the end of shank 10. These two'parts are then snagged and trimmed to reduce. the

jaw 6 to the shape: shownin Fig. 9 andf the jaw 7 to a counterpartshape. The two jaws i in their partially formed state are thenassembledor incorporated in the machine. A wood heel is then placed in positionupon the work holder and the machine operated.

'As the heel and-cutter head are brought to-' gether the blades of thelatter 0 rate upon the breast sides of the relative y soit babbitt jaws6 and 7 facing the cutter head and give to the same a shape exactlconforming to, and coincident with the roast and shank portion oftheheel. This final shaping of thebreast-side or the rear' jaw.

v byothe cutters oft .up for operating upon heels, is the distinoratedin the machine, clatter as they are set 6, after it is inco guishing andimportant feature of the method by which my new apparatus or ma chine isproduced. As willbe clear, the machine is in condition to o erate uponwood heels after this first jaw s aping oper: ation.

Other material than babbitt ma be employed in making the jaws, particuarly the aw 6,. and other methods than casting may be employed toproperly shape its work engaging face and other parts preliminary to thefinal shaping of the breast side thereof by the cutter head. v

While I have herein shown my invention in connection with a machine ofthe kind illustrated and described in my patent above referred to, itshould be clear that'the same may be used in conjunction with any typeof machine for shank shaping the breast of a turned and grooved heel.

What I claim is:

1. A work holder for a machine of the character described having anabutment engaging that side of the heel where the cutter leaves the workto support the material of the sameimmediately adjoining the path of thecutter against the lateral thrust of the latter, said abutment beingmolded with a heel engaging face'that is a counterpart of and conformsto the shape of the side of the heel and having a corner adjacent thebreast of the heel coinciding with the corner at the side of the breastof a heel as finished by the cutter.

2. A work holder for a machine of the character described having anabutment engaging that side of the heel where the cutter leaves the worktosupport the material of the same immediately 1 adjoining the path ofthe cutter against the lateral thrust of thelatter; said abutment beingmolded with a heel engaging face that is a counterpart of and conformsto the shape of the side of the heel and having av corner adjacent thebreast of the heel coinciding with and supporting the material of thecorner at the side of the breast of the-heel as finished by the cutter.

3. The method of producing apparatus for use in shaping wood heels whichconsists in constructing the holder of said apparatus with an abutmentmember molded 'with'a face that is counterpart of and fits against theside of the ratus; then eo-operativelv combining said holder withcutting mec anism, and then operating the apparatus to cause the cuttingmechanism to trim and shape the breast side heel at which the cutterleaves the work to support the material thereof against the thrust ofthe cutter of the appah l of said abutment so as to rovide said side iwith a corner adjacent sai face coinciding with and supporting thematerial of the corner at the side of the breast of a heel as finishedby said cutting mechanism.

4. The improvement in the art of making wood heels which consists inproducing the work holder of the shaping apparatus'by first constructingthe work holder with an abutment member for engaging the side of theheel at which the cutter leaves the work to support the material thereofagainst the thrust of the cutter of the apparatus; then co-operativelycombining said holder with cutting mechanism, and then operating theapparatus to cause the cutting mechanism to shape the breast side ofsaid abutment so that said side conforms to and coincides with thefinished contour of the breasts of the heels shaped by the apparatus.

5. he improvement in the art of making wood heels which consists inproducing the work holder of the shaping apparatus by" side thereof thatengages'the heel molded to a shape that is a counterpart of the shape ofportion of the heel engaged by it; then co-operatively combining saidholder with cutting mechanism, and then operating the apparatus to causethe cutting mechanism to shape the breast side of said abutment so thatsaid side conforms to and coincides with the. finished contour of thebreasts of the heels shaped by the apparatus.

6. A work holder for a machine of the character described comprising apair of jaws engaging opposite sides of the heel to hold the latter inposition while. the heel is being operated upon, the heel engaging faceof each jaw'being a counterpart of the portion of the heel engaged byit.

7. A work holder for a machine of the character described comprising apair of jaws engaging opposite sides of the heel to 'hold operated upon,the heelengaging face of each jaw being a counterpart of the portion ofthe heel engaged by it, and each of said faces having a side edgeadjacent the breast which conforms to and coincides with the adjacentcorner at the junction of its side of the heel andthe breast of thefinished In testimony whereof-,1 have 'aflixedmy signature; 1

* NICHQIiAS L. 'GULLIFORD.

the latter in-position while being

